Why are default aircraft repaints not showing in FSX?

Default aircraft repaints do not show in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition when the texture folder is misplaced, the repaint lacks a valid [fltsim.X] entry in the active aircraft.cfg, its model references are incompatible, or aircraft-selection filters hide variations. Correct those four points, restart FSX, and the livery should appear.

How do I make FSX repaints appear?

Install the repaint inside the correct default aircraft folder, add a sequential configuration entry, then tell FSX to show every variation.

1. Locate the active FSX installation. Open its SimObjects\Airplanes folder. For Steam Edition, opening the installed files from the Steam library is safer than guessing the path. If boxed FSX and Steam Edition are both installed, confirm that you are editing the copy you actually launch.
2. Back up the configuration. Copy the aircraft’s existing aircraft.cfg somewhere safe before changing it. This makes it easy to recover from a malformed entry or a repair operation that restores the default file.
3. Confirm exact model compatibility. A repaint for the default FSX Boeing 737-800 belongs with that specific model; it is not interchangeable with an add-on 737, an FS2004 aircraft or another 737 variant. Expansion aircraft must also be installed before their repaints can work. Use our guide to check whether a repaint matches the precise FSX model when the documentation is unclear.
4. Put the texture folder at the correct level. For example, SimObjects\Airplanes\B737_800\texture.MyLivery should sit beside that aircraft’s aircraft.cfg, model, panel and sound folders. The bitmap or DDS files must be directly inside the texture folder, not inside a second nested texture.MyLivery folder created during extraction.
5. Add the supplied repaint entry. Paste its [fltsim.X] block below the existing variations in aircraft.cfg. Replace X with the next number in an unbroken sequence: if the last section is [fltsim.5], the new one must be [fltsim.6]. Numbering starts at zero and is local to that aircraft.
6. Copy values from a working variation. When a download contains an old or incomplete configuration block, duplicate an entry from the same default aircraft and change only the repaint-specific fields. In particular, give it a unique title=, set texture= to the texture-folder suffix, and provide a recognisable ui_variation=.
7. Save the real CFG file. Windows may prevent direct editing inside a protected installation directory. Edit a copy and replace the original with administrator approval if necessary, then reopen it to confirm the new block remains present. Ensure the filename is aircraft.cfg, not aircraft.cfg.txt.
8. Restart FSX and show variations. In the aircraft-selection screen, enable Show all variations and clear manufacturer, publisher or aircraft-type filters. Without that setting, FSX may show one default paint while concealing the newly installed livery.

Our folder-and-configuration installation example covers the complete texture suffix and [fltsim] numbering pattern.

Which aircraft.cfg entries can hide a repaint?

FSX will omit or misfile a variation when its identifying fields point to missing resources, duplicate another aircraft or break the section sequence.

A texture folder by itself is not enough. FSX discovers selectable aircraft through aircraft.cfg, so every repaint needs its own valid variation entry.

Why does the repaint still not appear?

If your search was “она не отображается” (“it is not displayed”), “tot nu apare” (“it still does not appear”) or “nama ga muncul” (“the name does not appear”), separate the menu problem from the naming problem before reinstalling anything.

• No new variation appears: reopen the active aircraft.cfg and check that the new block was saved, its number follows the previous section, and its title= is unique. Then confirm that Show all variations is enabled.
• The repaint is filed under the wrong name: correct ui_manufacturer=, ui_type= and ui_variation=. These values control what the selector displays; the texture-folder name does not become the menu name automatically.
• Every default aircraft or variation is missing: this is broader than a repaint installation fault. Check the selection filters and damaged simulator files using our steps for recovering default aircraft that have disappeared from the selector.
• The repaint vanished after file verification or repair: those operations can restore a modified default aircraft.cfg. Reinsert the saved [fltsim.n] block after confirming that the texture folder still exists.

When an extractor asks to overwrite existing files, do not reflexively think “yes, please”. Replacing the entire default aircraft.cfg can remove other variations; merge the supplied repaint block into the existing file instead.

Why is the repaint listed but white, blank or incomplete?

A listed variation proves that FSX has read its configuration; white or incomplete surfaces point to the texture files, fallback paths or model compatibility instead.

• No preview image: place a valid thumbnail.jpg directly inside the repaint’s texture folder. A missing thumbnail does not stop the aircraft from being selected or flown.
• White or partly untextured model: check that the download was fully extracted and that any texture.cfg fallback leads to the base aircraft’s shared textures. Partial repaints often contain only the files that differ from the default livery.
• The default paint appears instead: verify that texture= exactly matches the suffix of the intended folder and that the repaint files are not one directory too deep.
• Markings are distorted or misplaced: the textures were painted for another model or mapping layout. Editing aircraft.cfg cannot convert them to the correct geometry.
• The problem occurs only with DirectX 10 Preview: older texture sets can expose rendering compatibility problems in that mode. Test without the preview option, but still check the package for missing or unsuitable texture files.

For the next checks, follow our guide to diagnosing missing textures and broken fallback paths.

Can a default-aircraft repaint use its own Airplanes folder?

A texture-only repaint cannot normally operate as a separate aircraft because it does not contain a complete model, flight model and configuration.

Install it inside the existing default aircraft folder and register it as another [fltsim.n] variation. A separate folder under SimObjects\Airplanes is appropriate only when the download is a complete aircraft package with its own aircraft.cfg, .air file, model folder and supporting files.